A year removed from shooting an opening-round 80 en route to missing the cut at last year’s U.S. Open, Fowler struggled again in Thursday’s first round at Oakmont and needs a significant rally to make the cut this week.

Fowler was 6-over through 12 holes when play was suspended for the day.

“Not the start I wanted, that’s for sure,’’ Fowler said.

Fowler was not playing well entering the week, having missed the cut at the Memorial two weeks ago as well as at the Players Championship, where he was the defending champion.

“It’s tough to get into a rhythm, obviously,’” he said of the weather delays. “[The playing conditions were] probably about as easy as the course was going to play [in the] morning when we went out. We didn’t have a whole lot of wind, soft conditions.’’

Bubba Watson’s day ended with him at 2-under with four holes to finish his first round, and he sounded encouraged afterward.

“Around here in ’07 [the last time the U.S. Open was played at Oakmont], I finished 9-over and finished fifth,’’ he said. “I’ve got eight more bogeys I can make and still finish fifth. I just kept fighting. You don’t really think about the mistakes or the bogeys because everybody’s going to make bogeys out here. The golf course is that difficult.’’

Angel Cabrera was the last man standing at Oakmont in 2007, winning at 5-over.

“It’s been very emotional this week with all the memories from back in 2007,’’ Cabrera said through an interpreter. “I’ve been waiting several years to actually be back here at this moment, to play Oakmont again.’’

Cabrera has played in 54 events without a victory, leaving him to say he was “not in the best position” to perform well this week. He said he hoped “not to suffer too much this week.’’

Other than waiting around, he didn’t suffer at all Thursday, because he never got to play after the third weather delay stopped play before the players with afternoon tee times had a chance to start.

Aaron Wise, the fifth-ranked amateur in the world, turned pro officially this week, making the U.S. Open his professional debut. Because of the weather delays, Wise also did not begin his first round on Thursday.

“I’ve had a great experience at Oregon and am thankful for the opportunity it gave me to play at the highest collegiate level,” Wise said. “I’m excited to … start doing what I’ve dreamed about for years, playing professionally.”

Last month the 19-year-old from Lake Elsinore, Calif., was the medalist at the Mackenzie Tour — PGA Tour Canada qualifying tournament and plans to play a full schedule. The five leading money winners on that circuit at season’s end earn Web.com Tour status. As the NCAA champion, he also received and accepted an invitation to the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic, Aug. 11-14 at the TPC Deere Run.

Wise won twice last year as a freshman at the University of Oregon and has won three events this year, an Oregon single-season record. His recent NCAA individual title led the Ducks to their first team title. He was the medalist in both his U.S. Open Local and Sectional Open qualifying tournaments to get into the U.S. Open.